SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's attorney general argues there is no legal reason for an appellate court to temporarily stay the planned execution of Ronnie Lee Gardner.
In a document filed Thursday, the attorney general's office addresses Gardner's complaint that lawyers from the attorney general's office had a conflict of interest because it both argued for his execution and legally advised the parole board.
The attorney general's office says it was fulfilling its obligation when it opposed Gardner's commutation before the state parole board.
Gardner's attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging his clemency hearing was biased because of the alleged conflict of interest. They made the same argument in a hand-delivered letter to Gov. Gary Herbert Thursday.
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